Vertigo in Australia released the bulk of the British albums, albeit sometimes with reduced packaging. Early albums that were on Vertigo in the UK, were released on Fontana. Phonogram handled Vertigo distribution from approximately the end of 1971, so anything released before is still on Fontana. From the later releases we have not found any different enough to warrant a special comment. If you can reason otherwise, please do so and give us a hint. Australian Vertigo did, however, sign a band of their own, the releases of which you can inspect below. An interesting sampler was also issued. Vertigo albums from Australia have ''Made In Australia'' at six o'clock on the label. Test pressings with a white label are known to exist. Some matrix numbers are hand-etched and show catalogue number and side plus ''Y'' for stereo and around one quarter further on an unidentified code, which we will duly produce. The sampler has machine-stamped matrix numbers. A-side labels have ''SIDE 1'' in the second white circle. The B-side label can be viewed below. All native releases have a fold-out cover, two of the three even an extra poster. Australian albums are listed chronologically.
We have just received information, that hand-etched matrix numbers mean: mastered at Festival, while machine-stamped numbers mean: mastered at CBS.

There were singles on Vertigo swirl released in Australia, most of them identical to their British examples. The few that differ are depicted below. If you can help us out with more of these, please do not hesitate and be rewarded with eternal glory on this site.

6499 025/6
(6441 016)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - THE VERTIGO TRIP (1971)

No new points of view are offered by this rather patchy double sampler album. The choice of tracks is surely surprising, but too many weak cuts are allowed to fill up room. In fact, almost the whole of the first disc is discardable, mainly because the wrong tracks were chosen to represent the albums involved. The start of the record with Warhorse's St.Louis could very well be an expression of chauvinism, as this track is written by the Australians Vanda and Young (Easybeats). The second disc is much better, except the last two songs of side B. They sound even bleaker in this context, than on their own albums.

Someone at the art-department must have gone ape over the ''Vertigo Annual 1970'' cover from Britain. The symbolism of horse and lady is adopted, but simultaneously stripped to the bare core. Now, it is a purely sexual symbiosis and this shows strongly on the photographs. The blonde lady on front is now stark naked and rocks her horse with a lewd grin. The horse's mane stands in for pubic hair, not very subtle, we think. On the inside horse and lady are seen from below, as though from inside a water-well, even though its walls seem to belong to a church ruin. She holds the reins as if they would be involved in an erotic game with leather. The gigantic poster that was given away with this record shows another, this time dark-haired, lady on the horse. She is naked too and rejoices climactic feelings on the horse's back. Another shot is in black and white and shows her kissing the cheek of her mount. Furthermore there is a large advertising section with small pictures of ever so many Vertigo albums. Only Black Sabbath's Master of reality shows any difference to the British issue: the bottow lettering is outlined in white. Of course, the cover of Rod Stewart's An old raincoat won't ever let you down has the inside for the outside, but in Australia this is a release on Fontana.

6357 007
BUFFALO - DEAD FOREVER (1972)

The influence of Black Sabbath and above all Blue Cheer can hardly be overheard on this debut album. Grinding tempi and the tendency towards black-magical lyrics, leave no doubt where textural and textual inspiration is found. Still, Buffalo evokes something of an own atmosphere. This is alternately cold and bitter, like on the opening track, that suggests satanism without actually giving the game away, and dispairingly bluesy like on Suzie sunshine, simple blues-rock, really. There are almost no overdubs, except for the guitar solos, so the sound is quite straightforward. Baxter proves himself a talented guitarist, but it is just not enough to save the whole album. Too many tracks are weighty slow-rock with heavy riffs and without any form of variation. The cover of Blues Image's Pay my dues isn't bad (Baxter pulls all stops) but The Free's I'm a mover is not very succesful. The expressive voice of Rodgers is sorely missed and the ''moving'' drive of the original has got lost somewhere in the process. The album shows some promise, but sounds also dated. Clearly the band needs more inventiveness to satisfy the discerning listeners.

The cover shows a strange foreground in black and brown, with a male human face peeping through. Agitated, muddy and blood-stained he doesn't look very favourable to us. Inside the gatefold a large photograph of the band (in good spirits) in a, you guessed it, churchyard.
The lettering is overly simple, but will do for now, I guess.

Meticulous research brought to light two variations of this release: for some reason it was adorned with two different matrix numbers, which is reflected on the label. See scan below.


Diligent readers have now pointed out that the ''MX'' version was probably issued by the Australian Record Club, hence the different catalogue number.

6357 101
BUFFALO - VOLCANIC ROCK (1973)

Restricted to a power-trio plus singer and with a new drummer, the band sounds tighter than before. The guitars are more integrated into the sound and no cover versions are played anymore. The black-magical overtones have disappeared and the band is evidently more confident. Even the compositions are a bit more interesting. The opening Sunrise still is absolutely average, but Freedom begins mysteriously and atmospherically, before merging into the well-known  and ruthless sledgehammer style. Till my death sounds like Ten Years After with the brakes on. On side B the monotony unfortunately wins the upper hand, with the exception of Intro, that suddenly boasts great melodic guitar parts and is the best on offer here. Shylock that follows suit is too colourless to excite.

Quite a strange cover-design, though. On top of an enormous female-shaped rock, lava bubbling inside, a young blonde hero without genitals emerges. He heaves the missing private parts with great effort above his head. No wonder, as they are of supernatural size. Inside some acceptable live shots. A small poster is added. One side shows the lyrics, the other show more of the volcanic landscape, where all kinds of beings, bizarre and uncanny, wander around. Pretty scary.
The lettering is nice in itself, but weighs too heavy on the image.

White label pressings of this record were accompanied by above cue sheet.

6831 040
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR - THE PINK PARKER (1978)

A marginal case for inclusion, as the swirl label was already obsolete at this time in Australia. Yet, it is no reissue, so here you are.

The cover does not really show a design, so there isn't much to say about it except that it looks perfecty ghastly. The simplest of lettering, slightly tilted, yes sir, now that's an interesting idea! Did they really pay any designers for such covers? But, stop complaining please, the vinyl is stark nakedly pink!

847 200
ROD STEWART - AN OLD RAINCOAT WON'T EVER LET YOU DOWN

Only the 'old' catalogue number for Rod in Oz, but a very different cover makes up for this.

CASSETTES

Apart from the logical caption ''Made in Australia'' on the cassette itself, there is little to distinguish it from its British counterpart, a remark which includes the catalogue number 7138 027.

SINGLES

Early singles (like the albums) were released on Fontana. Some of these do have the wording ''A Vertigo Production'' on the label as seen here:


and in glorious mono too!

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Later singles do, of course, appear on swirl labels.

We have had confirmation of the following differing swirl singles and local releases. None of these had a picture sleeve.
The label of one of these singles is depicted below.


6036 028 SHONA LAING
A: 19.05. B: There Are No Words [To Describe]
(same cat.nr. as in New Zealand).

6036 908 DRAGON
A: Vermillion cellars. B: Rock 'n' roll ponsonby.

6037 901 BUFFALO
A: Lucky. B: On my way.

6037 904 BUFFALO
A: Rolling. B: Hotel Ladies.

6059 032 FAIRFIELD PARLOUR
A: Emily. B: Sunny side circus.



6059 033 JIMMY CAMPBELL
A: Don't leave me now. B: In my room

6059 052 MAGNA CARTA
A: Country jam. B: Home groan.

6059 075 SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY  BAND
A: Jungle Jenny. B: Buff's bar blues.

6059 112 SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY  BAND
A: Anthem [short version]. B: Anthem [long version].

6078 113 KENNY JONES
A: Ready or not. B: Woman trouble.
(B-side credited to ''Kenney Jones and a pop group'')

6165 001 BLACK SABBATH
A: Sabbath bloody sabbath. B: Changes.

6237 001 BUFFALO
A: Suzie sunshine/ Dead forever.
B: Barbershop rock/ Sunshine [come my way].

Australian picture sleeve for 6237 001, Buffalo EP.

And a very strange one here:

MAC 761 Macarthur
A: Macarthur. B: Good stuff

Promo issue of MAC-761.

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